Dale Osterman of Prattville, Alabama, recently sent us a couple photos of easily identifiable cars for Lost and Found, but I still thought them worth sharing here. The first, above, depicts Dale’s grandfather, Jacob, a railroad worker who also worked part-time for the local PD, standing beside his 1947 Nash wearing 1951 Ohio plates.

The second shows Dale and his brother Harry playing in a Model T as youngsters. Dale notes that he’s currently 53, which would place the time of this photograph sometime in the mid- to late 1960s, a time when the collectibility of Model Ts was on the rise.

The two photographs lead me to ponder: Nearly all the photographs we publish in our magazines and on our blogs are just of the cars themselves. And in fact, our editorial director Lentinello, has often stated his vision of magazines that make the cars the star. All well and good, but maybe a little injection of the human element is worth considering from time to time. After all, how can you not share in Jacob’s pride, whether it be for his Nash or for his part-time occupation? And how can you not share in the joy and adventure of Dale and Harry in an old car?

Fortunately, we get many of these sorts of photos in the Lost and Found inbox, so even if the car in your family album’s old photos is easily identifiable, even if its perfectly unusual, scan the photos and send them in and show us how your family interacted with its cars.